Washington, D.C. (May 18, 2018): Released political prisoners Akhtem Chiygoz and Ilmi Umerov, leaders of the Crimean Tatar nation who were imprisoned by Russian occupation authorities in Crimea, called for increased sanctions on Russia during a trip to […]

Press Release
IDEE Condemns Forced Exile of Crimean Tatar Leaders
The Institute for Democracy in Eastern Europe (IDEE) welcomes the release from prison and house arrest of Akhtem Chiygoz and Ilmi Umerov, the two deputy chairmen of the Crimean Tatar national assembly, the Mejlis. IDEE equally and strongly protests their forcible expulsion from Crimea. Their unwanted exile is a further violation of human rights by the Russian government — part of a systematic campaign of persecution of Crimean Tatars since its illegal occupation of Crimea in March 2014. […]

I testified in a Polish court recently. That in itself is not unusual. I saw many people in the hallways of the administrative court building waiting to testify in various proceedings. But my testimony was unusual. I am an American, living in New York, without any claims of […]